Origins of Halloween Fact #2

Posted on:
Wednesday, October 15, 2014

The night of Halloween started with the ancient Celtic festival which is called Samhain. It's spelled "Sam-hain" but pronounced "sah-win".

Samhain was a festival. It marked the end of the Celtic harvest season. It marked the beginning of winter and a new year. The date is 1/2 way between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. Every village made a big fire. Lots of animals were prepared for the feast, and their bones were thrown in the fire. Did you know the word "bonfire" comes from "bone fire"?